短尾猴群体中婴猴的社会功能及其分化研究

In nonhuman primates, infants attract a lot of attention from the other members, and thus they play important roles for sustainable social bonds and long-term group stability in a society. In essence, infant’s social function depends on the complex social interaction and social relationships between adult members and infants. From this perspective, infant’s social roles include a multiple and complex dynamic differentiation process. In this project, the behavioral data will be collected from the Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan to analyze the distribution of social behavioral interaction between adult members and infants. Using the physiological and molecular biology, the paternal kinship and glucocorticoid levels will be evaluated, to discuss about the complex factors on infant’s social relationships. These results will demonstrate the types of infant’s behavioral interaction and adaptive characteristic. Moreover, the relationships between cost (behavioral and physiological) and benefit (social bonds strength) will be analyzed among adult group members who participated with infants. Taken together, the results will imply the social roles of infant. Therefore, this project could provide evidence for the social roles of infants in maintaining social relationship and long-term group stability, and the possible origin and differentiation of infant’s social function in group-living nonhuman primates. Meanwhile, the results will also provide new insight into understanding behavioral strategies to form complex social network and maintain group stability in nonhuman primates.

婴猴是非人灵长类群体结构的有机组成，在维持社会关系和群体稳定中扮演着特殊的社会角色。从本质上看，婴猴的社会功能取决于它参与的社会行为类型以及该行为的作用，蕴含在错综复杂的社会交往中。本项目以栖息在安徽黄山的野生短尾猴为对象，通过研究婴猴的行为交往、影响因素、功能类型与适应特征，并分析群体成员利用婴猴建立不同类型社会关系的代价与收益，阐明婴猴的社会功能及其分化过程，揭示婴猴在群体中扮演的社会角色。本项目有助于阐明婴猴在群体关系的维持和长期稳定中的作用，同时，为认识和理解灵长类动物利用第三方个体构建复杂社会网络以维持群体稳定提供新视角。

婴猴是非人灵长类群体结构的有机组成，在维持社会关系和群体稳定中扮演着特殊的社会角色。从本质上看，婴猴的社会功能取决于它参与的社会行为类型以及该行为的作用，蕴含在错综复杂的社会交往中。本项目以栖息在安徽黄山的野生短尾猴为对象，聚焦婴猴的社会功能及其分化过程，从个体水平、两方关系、三方关系、群体水平等多个层次开展研究，主要结果包括：（1）婴幼个体具有明确的行为发展规律，除了主动与未成年个体社会玩耍以外，更多的是被成年个体利用被动参与到社会交往中，从而实现其社会功能；（2）婴猴的社会功能具有多元性，主要取决于群体成员利用该婴猴的行为模式与功能结果；（3）婴猴的社会功能具有明显的动态分化过程，随着月龄的增长，呈现由雌性利用转为雄性利用的变化；（4）婴猴的功能作用在于加强个体之间的社会联系，并最终促进群体的稳定与凝聚力，其本质是社会工具，且是一种代价较高的社会工具。本项目不仅阐明婴猴在群内社会关系维持和群体长期稳定中发挥的重要作用，也为认识和理解灵长类动物利用第三方个体构建复杂社会网络以维持群体稳定提供新视觉。